


You've Changed

by SilverWolfPup



Series: Hawks and Cats [1]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Betrayal, Crimes & Criminals, Daemons, Episode: s03e01 On Guard, M/M, Same-Sex Daemons, Separation, Suspicions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-10 20:46:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5600281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverWolfPup/pseuds/SilverWolfPup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's an unusual feeling, to realise that it's their daemon who's opinion hurts more. But it's the truth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You've Changed

**Author's Note:**

> Another HDM au, but with a less peculiar format. Maybe you'll like this one better.
> 
> Also, anyone get the reference of naming Peter's daemon Cazaril? I kinda think it's fitting, but you might disagree.
> 
> And Aurora is a cat.

Cazaril was fidgeting on the perch near Neal's desk, the usually calm daemon out of sorts. He watched the office closely but refused to look at Neal or Aurora, holding his wings defensively and regularly ruffling them. Neal felt worry start to build.

Aurora acted on that worry and paced closer to Cazaril, sitting on the edge of the table closest to the perch. "What's going on, Cazaril? Is something wrong with Peter?"

Instead of answering her he flared out his wings with an angry _churr_ and glared fiercely at her. Aurora flinched.

"What was that for?" she hissed, and her anger flared in Neal's chest.

"You're being _idiots_ ," Cazaril snapped, folding his wings as he forced himself to calm down. "Surely you don't think you can..." Cazaril shook his head and made a pained sound, and then shook out his feathers again. Aurora backed away from the red-tail hawk, wrapping herself around Neal's shoulders and watching Cazaril with irritated golden eyes as he preened down his feathers with sharp, quick movements.

Neal leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow at the daemon. "And what does that mean?" he asked carefully, letting his voice hush.

Cazaril looked up and met his eyes, and Neal froze. There was defeat in those eyes, the anger already faded. It was shakily close to despair. "You're going to run." The words were flat and soft, but the pain in his eyes wasn't in his words.

"What makes you think that?" Neal asked lightly.

Cazaril flicked out his wings. "Sometimes I wonder if you think we're idiots," he said, not bothering to elaborate on the _we_. Cazaril looked away. "When Peter accused you of stealing the art, you felt betrayed," he said, soft and certain. "I could read it all over you. It was unusually honest, and I... believed you. But now, Neal. Now you just take his suspicion as your due and ask careful questions with that devil-may-care smile on your face. We studied you for _years_ , Neal, and maybe Peter is too distracted by his own suspicions and uncertainties, but I'm not." Cazaril looked him in the eye. "It is a simple conclusion, Neal."

Neal let the games go. "You haven't told Peter."

"And I won't," the daemon said honestly. "But you underestimate him if you think he can't guess. And I may not _tell_ him, Neal, but don't think I'll just let you run." He spoke low and serious, eyes piercing into his. "Don't expect it to be easy. And even if you do get away, Neal, what makes you think that we won't be able to catch you again?"

Neal... Neal smiled at that. "Didn't you know that's part of the fun?"

His wings snapped out again, a feather coming loose in the violence and fading in a flash of Dust. Cazaril leaned forward, sharp beak nearly touching Neal as he glared. "You think this is a joke, Neal?" he hissed, low and serious.  "You think that if you run we won't drag you back and _throw_ you back in prison ourselves? Don't think we won't, Neal. It might just break us, but we won't hesitate. We _won't_." With that soft threat the bird swayed back, and with a sweep of his wings he soared into Peter's office.

Neal considered the words, running his hands through Aurora's fur.

"We'll just have to take that chance," she said quietly, echoing Neal's thoughts.

He scratched behind her ears one more time, before turning back to his desk and all the paperwork on it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you like it, I am planning on writing more following the episodes and how the daemons might change it, but that'll have to wait until I can get access to the series again so I am working off more than vague memories. (Why does Netflix have to change what you can watch by country? Why? How does that make any sense?)


End file.
